Master Sword
"The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch.... Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time...." - Rauru, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Background Information The Master Sword (マスターソード), also known as the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Sword of Time and the Sword of Resurrection, is a recurring sword in the Legend of Zelda series. It is imbued with the power to vanquish evil. In many games, it is said to be the only sword capable of defeating the malevolent Ganon(Ganondorf, depending on the game) when he has the Triforce of Power. It is directly related to the legend of the Hero of Time and has become one of the most iconic symbols of the Legend of Zelda ''series, often appearing in other video games. Additionally, the Master Sword has been featured in several ''Zelda games' logos. History In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, it is revealed that the Master Sword was originally the Goddess Sword, a sword created by the goddess Hylia to be used by her chosen hero to defeat Demise and his minions when they had resurrected. Once Hylia had sealed Demise, she created Fi, an artificial spirit which acts as the avatar for the Goddess Sword, to guide her chosen future hero in the future. The Goddess Sword was then placed inside the Statue of the Goddess, in the floating city of Skyloft. Centuries later, before the Wing Ceremony, Fi manifests in Link`s dream and warns him of the events about to unfold. Before he can hear all of Fi`s words though, Link awakens from his slumber. Later on, during the Wing Ceremony, Link and Zelda are hit by a black tornado while riding on their Loftwings. Zelda is snatched by the tornado, while Link falls to the ground unconscious. In his unconscious state, Link sees Fi once more, who calls out to him. This is followed with Link dreaming of himself failing to save Zelda from falling into a demonic monster`s mouth. Awakening in a bed, Link learns from Gaepora that his Crimson Loftwing saved him and carried him back to Skyloft. Asked by Gaepora of Zelda`s whereabouts, Link explains the events that transpired, much to Gaepora`s shock. After explaining everything, Link is told by Gaepora to continue resting. Once Gaepora leaves the room however, Link hears a mysterious voice calling out to him. Following the mysterious voice`s presence, Link is led inside the statue of the Goddess. There he finds the Goddess Sword in its pedestal, followed with Fi appearing from the sword. Introducing herself to a surprised Link, Fi explains to him that he is the hero chosen by Hylia to save the world, before assuring him that Zelda is still alive, to his relief. Telling Link that he will need to embrace his role if he wishes to save Zelda, Fi instructs him to pull the Goddess Sword from its pedestal. Link willing obliges and proceeds to do so, raising the sword high in the air. Fi then acknowledges Link as her master, with the Master Sword brightly shining in Link`s hand. Suddenly, Gaepora calls out to Link from behind, surprised at the situation. He then tells Link of the legends of Hylia, Skyloft`s origins, and the Master Sword. Realizing that Link is the chosen hero mentioned in the legends, Gaepora questions how the young man will leave Skyloft when the barrier below prevents him from doing so. In response, Fi gives Link the Emerald Tablet and gives him instructions to creating a small rift within the barrier. Upon doing so, Link learns that he is now able travel down to the surface. Changing into his newly attained knight uniform, Link goes down to the surface carrying the Goddess Sword with him. During his time at the surface, Link learns from Impa that when the Goddess Sword is bathed in three sacred flames, it will be reforged into a sword of tremendous power. Each time Link bathes the Goddess Sword in one of the flames, the sword becomes empowered and changes its form. Once having bathed it into all three flames, the sword turns into the Master Sword, allowing Link to activate the Gate of Time. Later on in the story, after Link travels to the past to reunite with Zelda, the Master Sword is blessed by the latter and changes into its final form, becoming the True Master Sword. Becoming an even more powerful weapon, the Master Sword is used by Link to defeat Demise in their duel. Impressed with Link, Demise highly praises him. In his last breath however, Demise states that his hatred and the curse of the Demon Tribe (in the Japanese version) will be reborn in a cycle without end as it evolves, cursing those with the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero. After Demise's body dissolves, his residual consciousness is absorbed into the Master Sword to dissolve over time. After returning to the present, Link is told by Fi to return the Master Sword back into its pedestal, while also telling him that doing so will cause her to fall into an eternal slumber. Encouraged to do so by a saddened Zelda, Link places the holy sword back into its resting place. He then hears Fi's voice, where she tells Link that she feels happiness for all that he had done and graciously thanks him. At some point after its creation and Demise's defeat, the Master Sword was embedded into an enchanted pedestal, and the great Temple of Time was built around it to serve as a barrier to the Sacred Realm where the legendary Triforce rested. Ultimately, the sword and pedestal were both sealed inside a private chamber protected by a mighty stone barrier. Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" could pull the sword from the pedestal and unlock its true power. Presumably this was done to prevent the Triforce from being used for evil just in case the Door of Time was bypassed, as it would be impossible for anyone other than the chosen hero to do so. For many ages, the Master Sword lay hidden in its chamber, awaiting the time when the Hero spoken of in the prophecy would come to claim it. Legends In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, its origins are explained through an ancient legend which states that when the people of Hyrule began to suspect that the Triforce's power had fallen into the wrong hands, they used fine steel to forge the Master Sword and adorned its hilt with gold and rare jewels. This heavily contradicts the Master Sword's origin shown in Skyward Sword, as it is stated that Hylia was the one who created the Goddess Sword, with the only Hylians shown to have had a hand in turning it into the Master Sword being Link and Zelda. During The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda states that the Master Sword was crafted by the wisdom of the Ancient Sages. However, no sages are shown having a role in the sword's creation during Skyward Sword. It is likely that the true origins of the Master Sword have become obscured over time, explaining the varying accounts of its origins in games predating Skyward Sword. However in Breath of the Wild, the Great Deku Tree is shown to be somewhat aware of its true origins, though this is likely due to having existed for many years and/or due to his status, as well as his association with Hylia through the seven unnamed Sword Monks that serve her and oversee the trial to awaken the Master Sword's true splendor. It should be noted that its true origins becoming obscured would not be surprising given Skyward Sword occurs long before the foundation of the Kingdom of Hyrule and it is likely that many myths and legends of the Master Sword's origins came into existence due to its legendary status and association with countless incarnations of the hero. Design The Master Sword is a double-edged longsword with no fuller and a purple or blue hilt, although on the box art of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the hilt is golden. The sword's crossguard is noticeably large and elaborate in relation to its pommel, and is reminiscent of the seal of Hyrule's Royal Family. The blade possesses a ricasso, although Link is never portrayed using it. The Triforce is engraved on the base of the blade, and embedded in the crossguard is what appears to be a yellow gemstone. In some games, the sword could be tempered with/magically enhanced and given slightly different appearances, such as a rust-red blade as well as even a golden blade and green straight hilt. Likewise, it can also be enhanced via Master Ore, with similar results. In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the state of the gem and crossguard seems to be indicative of the sword's power; when Link first acquires the unawakened Master Sword, the gem in its crossguard is dark, and the guard itself seems to have retracted toward the grip. Only once the sword has been restored to its full power does its hilt regain its signature appearance, and its blade again radiates a mystical light. This theory is reinforced in Skyward Sword during the forging of the Master Sword. The Unpowered Master Sword and the Fully Powered Master Sword have a retracted and an outstretched wing crossguard, respectively. Abilities More than mere steel, the Master Sword holds the power to repel those aligned with evil. The magic of the Master Sword also seems to prevent it from ever being physically damaged. In Twilight Princess, the Temple of Time falls into ruin over the centuries, but the Master Sword and its pedestal both appear untouched by the ravages of time when Link discovers it in the Sacred Grove. Though never actually depicted in the series, it is implied that those aligned with evil are incapable of even touching (or wielding) the Master Sword as long as it possesses the power to repel evil and it is this that prevents evil beings from stealing the sword from Link. However it is shown that other people besides Link who are not aligned with evil, such as Princess Zelda (and her various incarnations) are capable of touching, picking up, and holding the Master Sword after it has been removed from its pedestal by Link. Princess Zelda held the sword shortly before the final confrontation with Ganondorf in The Wind Waker, and Princess Zelda placed the Master Sword in its pedestal after Link is placed in the Shrine of Resurrection in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Additionally, the Master Sword sometimes holds the power to unleash a mighty beam to smite enemies. It also has the ability to release the power of the Bombos, Ether, and Quake Medallions seen in A Link to the Past. The Master Sword also seemingly protects its user from evil auras, curses, and transformations. After obtaining the Master Sword in Twilight Princess, Link is no longer involuntarily transformed into his wolf form, except under the influence of the Shadow Crystal Fog within the Palace of Twilight. The Master Sword is also capable of absorbing energy in various forms, ranging from electricity to the Sols, in order to augment its attacks. In Skyward Sword, it inherits the Goddess Sword's ability to unleash Skyward Strikes and is likely related to its ability to unleash Sword Beams depicted in games that take place after Skyward Sword. The Master Sword also has the ability to dispel magical barriers that other weapons and items are ineffective against. In A Link to the Past, Link must use the Master Sword to destroy the barrier blocking the entrance to the top level of Hyrule Castle to progress through the dungeon, and confront the evil wizard Agahnim. In The Wind Waker, Link finds himself blocked by a magical barrier that encompasses all of Hyrule Castle. A single strike with the fully-restored Master Sword causes the entire barrier to shatter like glass. Along with these abilities, the Master Sword can also seal evil, as it not only managed to seal away the remains of Demise, but also managed to petrify Ganondorf entirely (including his swords) when Link stabbed him in the forehead with it in The Wind Waker. This sealing power can affect time itself, as Link in Ocarina of Time used it to time travel. One unexplained aspect of the Master Sword is its scabbard, which somehow always mysteriously appears on Link's back upon obtaining the Master Sword from its pedestal. Though unconfirmed, it is likely that the scabbard itself is magical in nature and linked to the sword itself. In Skyward Sword, the Goddess Sword's scabbard changes along with the Goddess Sword every time it is bathed in the sacred flames until it is transformed into the Master Sword and its scabbard, reinforcing the idea the Master Sword and its scabbard share a mystical connection to one another. Despite these impressive abilities, the Master Sword is not flawless. For example, in Ocarina of Time, if the user were to be deemed too young to wield the Master Sword, they would be sealed until they mature enough. Also, in The Wind Waker, the Master Sword relied on the prayers of the Sages of Earth and Wind to activate its full power making it incapable of stopping Ganondorf when the sages were killed. It was however shown that the successors of the previous sages can fill in their place and help reactivate the Master Sword's true power. The Master Sword also seemingly cannot be permanently upgraded, as it seems to revert back to its original form upon being placed back in its pedestal. It can however be downgraded permanently unless someone or something remedies it. In Breath of the Wild, the blade of the Master Sword can be worn, rusty, and attract lightning during thunderstorms. However it is apparently capable of repairing damage over time, as it is shown completely restored to its original undamaged state one century after the Great Calamity. When originally found by Link, the sword is stuck in its pedestal, which requires Link to have the correct "strength" to pull the Master Sword, being thirteen hearts. If he were to try and pull the Master Sword from its pedestal, while lacking the strength to do so, the Master Sword will slowly drain Link`s hearts until he either lets go or dies as a result. Despite boasting the Goddess Hylia's power, the Master Sword's power is not unlimited and will become temporarily unavailable for ten minutes if used too much on enemies not completely affiliated with the Calamity, such as Bokoblins. It is unknown why the Master Sword sometimes has different abilities and restraints, although it is likely because of game restraints. An alternative reason could be because its abilities and restraints just differs between each wielder. Category:Special Items